Saxham and Risby railway station
Saxham & Risby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Risby, West Suffolk England |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Great Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1 Apr 1854 | Opened as Saxham[1] |
| ? | Renamed Saxham and Risby[1] |
| 2 Jan 1967 | Closed to passengers |
| 28 Dec 1964 | Closed to goods[2] |
Saxham & Risby railway station was a station serving Risby in the English county of Suffolk. It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1854 following the line's extension from Newmarket to Bury St Edmunds. It was not particularly near either of the places it served, with Risby being about a mile to the north and Saxham a couple of mile to the south. Its main purpose was to serve agriculture in mid-Suffolk.[3]
At its peak during the period 1860 to 1890 there was a station master and three other members of staff. From 1929 onwards the four station staff were replaced by a 'Porter-in-charge' until its closure in 1967. Freight services ceased several years earlier, on 28 December 1964, along with other stations along the line. Saxham and Risby was one of four stations on the line between Ipswich and Cambridge which closed in 1967 following modernisation due to dwindling passenger numbers - the others were Higham, Fulbourn and Six Mile Bottom.[3] After closure, the south platform and waiting room was removed in 1970, whilst the north platform and the main station building remained derelict until it was demolished in the late 1980s.[4]
Today, only a small part of the north platform remains alongside the station car park. A railway terrace house still stands along Station Avenue and has been converted to private residence, however most of the surrounding area has been transformed into an agricultural industrial estate.[3]
According to the Official Handbook of Stations the following classes of traffic were being handled at this station in 1956: G, P, F, L, H, C. and there was no crane. Calor Gas had a private siding there.[5]
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bury St Edmunds Line and station open |
Great Eastern Railway Ipswich-Cambridge/Peterborough |
Higham Line open, station closed | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- ^ Clinker, C.R. (1978). Clinker's Register of Closed Station. Avon Anglia. ISBN 0-905466-19-5.
- ^ a b c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Saxham & Risby station, 1976 (2)". 21 February 1976.
- ^ Official Handbook of Stations. British Transport Commission. 1956.
External links
[edit]- Saxham & Risby station on navigable 1946 O.S. map
- Local history of Saxham and Risby
- External pictures of Saxham and Risby station in 1975
